The Perceptionist.....

Fifteen years ago, I was asked by my school teacher to give a 1-minute speech for the English class. Those days, it felt terrifying to be called upon in-front of the class to deliver such speech. The topic was about myself – more or less like the ice-breakers we deliver here at the Toastmasters. Being in a school and the ‘studious environment’, I worked with my mother to put together a short speech about myself just to accommodate in for the 1 minute that was allotted to me. I was called upon by the English teacher to deliver the speech in front of the class. As soon as I came on stage to recite my speech, my mind started to freeze. I felt like things were just blanking out for no fault of my own. As I started to speak about myself – in that fit of nervousness, I forgot what I had to say next. I was perplexed and confused on how to handle the situation. At that moment, when I had forgotten the rest of my speech, I stood there saying….Um…Eh very loudly not knowing what to say next. And...

A new day has arrived in the horizon! As I take a stroll on the village roads - I am taken aback by an enigmatic surprise. Well, it turns out that I now have - new neighbours. As I recall the days strolling the village roads alone in the village - reminiscing the stillness, peacefulness and cacophany of birds that could be heard in the backyard, I feel a great sense of nostalgia. I had to trade-off some of the beautiful bounties of nature that were exclusive to this vaddo to pave the way for the new-comers. I feel partly happy whilst sad as I miss some of the unique parrots with long tail beaks that I would spot at day time on a huge tree. This tree, was not just any tree - it was a cotton tree. It stood in between my house and other houses in the vicinity and provided shelter to other creatures. During the summer months, pink coloured flowers would spring out from its branches and colour the village pathway with its beautiful petals. It was a trove of the neighbourhoods ...

It's 23rd December. As I shutdown for the day in the Emirates with few cheers and a goodbye to fellow colleagues, my mind goes back to the Christmas mood that has enlightened my mind - of the last time I was in Goa. With a warm welcome and open arms, I stood there welcomed by throngs of villagers strolling from afar. They rush hurriedly exclaiming with joy, on meeting their betrothed son who has not seen them for ages since he last left the countryside. Singing the traditional carols, they come in a big procession with candles lit and Christmas caps to bring in the festive cheer and spirit of the season. Its also common for families to share some of their home-made sweets with the carol singers who go from house to house in the vaddo to keep the spirits alive in the neighbourhood. I also recall, on the 24th, Christmas Eve - this is the day one must not miss out on - the All Goa Carol Singing competition. This is but one event held on a grand scale in Parra that brings all the bands...

In the heart of the Al Yarmouk church neighbourhood, there is a man selling inflatable balloons on the side walk. With a broad smile on his face - he is a true beacon of hope, always spreading joy to all the passersby as they make their way for the weekly Sunday service. Surviving on meagre income from the sale of balloons, he often greets us as we make our way  for the service. He never fails to enquire as to our health as he greets us though we never purchase any of his balloons.  Days and months have gone by as we have kept meeting him every Sunday evening before mass. One day, as we entered the church gate - I was as usual on the lookout out for him. The spot was completely empty - a blank pavement with passersby coming to and fro from the church. At that moment, I was in a state of thoughtfulness. I wondered where this individual could be or where he may have gone. Weeks and months passed, and we could still not see him. We then decided to keep him in our prayers - hopi...

How many of you have ever been on an adventure that completely changed the your view towards life? One moment, you’re having fun, and the next, you’re questioning everything. That’s exactly what happened to me two years ago on a trip to Musandam.  It was one of those great moments – calm waters, blue skies and excitement of trying something new. One of the activities was the banana boat ride. Now, if you haven’t tried it before, it’s exactly what it sounds like—a banana-shaped boat tied to a speedboat that drags you across the water at high speed… until it flips, sending everyone crashing into the sea. I was excited. I had never done something this adventurous before. The ride started, and within minutes, we were flying across the waves.The boat sailed for a span of 15 to 20 minutes in high speed, when all of sudden – Swooooooooshhhhhh! The rope tied to the banana boat was left lose. I clung to my life jacket as if it were the only thing  keeping me alive, my fingers...

Below is an excerpt of my article on Goanisation that just got published today on OHERALDO and can also be access here at:   https://www.heraldgoa.in/edit/people-edit/goan-isation-the-path-towards-a-better-economy/417485

It was a Sunday afternoon of another weekend in Goa. Coming home from the long ardous journey, I spent a few minutes sifting through the pages of the local daily.  All of a sudden, I was taken aback by the sumptuous aroma of a Goan dish that filled the entire household as my mum set off to prepare it as part of a huge spread for the feast day. I have no words to describe my love and fascination towards this dish that I now proudly consider on such days as T.G.I.P.D - Thank God It's Pulao Days. With its strong aroma - a culmination of the spices of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves - 'pulao' is but one of the dishes that has grown to occupy a prominence in many Goan households on feast days. Driven by the aroma it brings in, everytime my mum has prepared it, I also drew a liking towards this delicacy. After a lot of convincing with my grandmother, I was finally granted my spot in the vast expansive kitchen. As it is customary in most households, men are not accustomed to be in the...

Below is a recent article published on 21st June 2024 edition of Herald Goa:

  What does it feel to start afresh? Exciting, anxious, nervous! Well, these are the common feelings or emotions encountered as we grapple with new opportunities or scenarios that come past our way.   Whether it is your first job, a new career, a new place or even a new skillset, there are countless instances in your life where you are often thrusted with new scenarios that spark a deviation from the normal state of affairs.   It may sound surprising, but it is often noted that quite a number of us get into defence mode and view these deviations as challenges that hinder us from achieving what we truly desire. But what if we could adopt a more holistic view and look at these challenges as greater opportunities for success? That’s right, if we choose to change our outlook towards these situations, not only do we attain new results – we leapfrog our way across the learning curve!   Many a times, we are caught up in our daily 9-5 routine that we have accepte...

We are soon nearing the end of the sixth month of the year 2023! Well, that was quite a fast one.  How have the months flown so quickly? And why do we feel as though we are caught up in this  never-ending spiral of unrealistic goals and ambitions? All of this goes to point out on how busy and dragged down our lives have become in recent times. With all due focus and attention given on meeting endless targets and deadlines at our workplaces, we have no choice but to admit that we are caught up in this so-called ‘hamster wheel’ of high  expectations everytime, everyday. It is no surprise that this has become a precedent of our lives, and  has shaped our relationships and interactions so much so that we have lost the true focus we need  on our personal wellbeing and the people around us.   More so than ever, our corporate cultures at workplace have played a key part in galvanizing this spiral of high expectations and demands. As companies worldwide seek t...

  Source: Time Magazine (time.com) In this article, I would like to discuss a subject often overlooked when reflecting upon matters affecting today’s modern-day workplace worldwide. It is a subject that affects all of us, especially those of us looking for jobs after having completed our higher studies at reputed educational institutions. We do not realize it until we have immersed our feet into the corporate world – a world with its unique set of challenges and adversities we need to entrust upon ourselves as we make haste with the realities of our current generation and era. There is no other better word to refer to this term we would have commonly heard about while at university or college in our localities – the so-called ‘Internships’ or ‘Apprenticeships’ as it is often referred to in the workplaces of our age. Internships or Apprenticeships are short-term work contracts that provide students or fresh graduates with the opportunity to immerse themselves in real-life practic...

It is one fine Friday evening. As the sun sets, a group of crows can be seen flying in circles preparing to head to sleep after a very long day. A lot of other birds, now absent to end the day with cheerful voices and a chorus of noises and sounds. The sound of bikes and vehicles fill the air as people head out happily from their houses for parties, weddings, the Sunburn festival as it is the month of December. As the sun has now gone beneath the horizon, a group of night insects and mosquitos join in to fill the village atmosphere as hill tops echo the pumping music around villages nearby. Dogs remain on their guard as gatekeepers of the night as occasional strangers make their way from around the vicinity. The cool village breeze blows around silently, adding in a new vibe and rhythm to the atmosphere. It is indeed a feeling of great joy to reconnect to the village of Parra – the place where both my blogs originated. A cacophony of voices, memories, lessons come to mind as I reco...

A couple of weeks back, I was deeply reflecting over some of the key happenings and events that shook the world in the last six months. As I spent my time, in mere introspection of these events right from the last straws of the pandemic, to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, the growing stagflation worldwide and the recent FTX scandal along with the massive layoffs at Meta and Twitter, it suddenly occurred to me that in all these scenarios, there was but one thing they all had in common - the never-ending 'uncertainty'.  Uncertainty or as I would put it 'an anxiety over what lies ahead in the future' is usually something that we encounter in our day to day lives and circumstances. Whether it is in our lives as students, as freshers, as working professionals or even as bachelors or spinsters - there are no dearth of examples to explain these small or minute instances of uncertainty that we encounter on a daily basis. This so-called 'uncertainty' forms a unique ch...

A while ago I was scrolling through my social media feed as on normal days. While I was busy keeping my senses pre-occupied with this gratifying task at hand, all of a sudden I had a great epiphany. I was left beyond mere wonder upon making this crucial discovery and would like to enumerate more about it. A creative insight into what I would describe as the 'evolving conscious mind' or 'rational mind'. Conscious thinking is what I would describe - a state of mind optimally attained where one is able to think rationally in the moment. In other words, adopt a clear lens in distinguishing between a truth, a reality and a fantasy. It is an aphorism to how we live our present-day lives right from our teenage years, to adulthood and finally the receding years of our lifespan. Conscious thinking in a more broad sense dictates the very choices we make, the decisions we take and more importantly how we choose to streamline the natural course of our existence on this Planet Earth...

In this blog article, I would like to talk about a subject that has entrenched me over the last couple of weeks and months. It is something that I have only started to discover in recent times, given the level of complexity that characterizes our day to day lives and situations. It is definitely something worth re-examining and giving a thought over, knowing how every aspect of our lives are modelled around this very theory or belief that has started to emerge in as recent as the 21st century. It is none other than- 'The Infinite Mindset'. The infinite mindset or rather 'infinite thinking' can be defined as a state of mind, characterized by constant learning and unlearning, constant reworking and tuning of past beliefs and attitudes and more importantly, the cultivation of a growth mentality when approaching any situation or circumstance that involves other people around with similar interests. It seeks to create or stimulate a world, where all people shift from aggress...

It is another fine evening of a bright Sunday. As the wind blows with full gusto, the young boys and girls can be seen playing on the footpaths and streets that line the heart of the neighborhood. With loud voices heard from distances apart, it throws light on the days as a young boy, living in the confines of a vast and expansive neighborhood. As the boy raises his bat to hit his target, a loud stream of voices can be heard from far-off, driving eagerness and enthusiasm in the much-loved sport amongst the Indian populace- cricket! With a blissful passion filling the hearts of the young people in this age and time, a trove full of countless memories reinvigorates itself as I lay there spellbound. A reminder of the good old summer holidays playing with a few friends as the schools would close for that time of the year. As I would lay outside, waiting for one of my good old schoolmates to come join us for the game, a loud sound of the TV could be heard. The television set would be tuned ...

It is yet another evening of a great Friday. The boys not far off from the streets can be seen playing cricket as they end another great winter holiday set forth in high spirits. As we draw close to another year, not very far off sight, there is a lot hope, a lot of dreams, a lot of aspirations for a better world, a better future and indeed a better reality. For some of us who have graduated from university, we are filled with hopes for better opportunities that may come pass our way, for some it is to finally finish off with university, while for yet another dime of the crowd, it is to discover what we truly like or are interested in, as we have just immersed our feet into the corporate world. Underlying all these situations and circumstances, is the constant and relentless struggle as we make haste with the reality that we have unhesitatingly come to subscribe to. The outbreak, in it's 3rd phase has made yet another comeback, laws and restrictions have unwittingly been reimposed ...

In this article, I would like to talk about a subject that has daunted me for years of having gone through the ups and downs of my student life, right from school life until college life. It is a subject that I often wanted to question, given how on it's part, it plays quite a significant role in influencing how we live our lives the way we live it. There is no other broad and encompassing term to refer to this collection of mindsets and value systems communicated by the so-called: 'Education System' as it has come to be referred to increasingly in recent times. As we all are aware about it, education or rather the 'educational system' is a way of communicating the 'value systems and ideals' of a set country as well as the culture that governs it. It serves as a way a particular community would identify itself with it's heritage, lineage, history and the list goes on. The educational system of a country like India, would in relative terms be different ...

Many a times in our lives, we come across situations or circumstances where our own personal beliefs and values are challenged, where the whole concept of society and the curbs it tries to impose on it's people through subtle forms of direct or in-direct gestures, actions or references are omni-present in the current world we live in, and more importantly a situation where only one type of community exists, which brings us to a situation where our views, our perceptions and more importantly our outlook towards life is challenged so much to the extent that one feels the need to confirm to the society and their ways of thinking. This raises a dominant but significant question as to how do you navigate these challenges as well as how do you come up with a comprehensive approach that could help mitigate such situations. All of this leads to my topic of adopting an open minded perspective to handle these and many forthcoming challenges destined to come along the way. Throughout the cour...

We all live our day to day lives and situations, doing the things we love and appreciate, carrying out certain tasks or responsibilities that form or constitute the core essence of each of our own individual life situations and to quite a surprise- our roles as well in a given society, which with it's pressures and constraints also goes a long way to affect or impact our lives or the circumstances that come along with it. As we navigate through the 'hustle and bustle' of our lives, vouching for solutions to the 'missing puzzle pieces' that come in our pathway, there come a certain group of individuals or people who in the present day society we live in- are often looked down upon or neglected, given the value systems and beliefs that currently govern the society we all live in today, as well as the pressures exerted by the so-called 'capitalist culture' or the 'capitalist mindset' which has exerted it's influence in our day to day  situations and...